When Clarence Brooks coaches the Baltimore Ravens defensive line in Super Bowl XLVII next Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, he'll have plenty of friends and family back in New Bedford rooting him on in his quest for a Super Bowl ring.

But it almost was a Whaling City showdown, had the Atlanta Falcons won the NFC championship instead of the Niners.

The Atlanta Falcons just didn't have enough to get past San Fran and make it to the Super Bowl, but their postseason slogan — "Rise Up" — is a mission statement for the franchise as it hopes to remain a powerhouse in the NFC. And one of those helping the Falcons to continue that rise is another New Bedford native, Glenn Pires.

"We've been with so many losing teams, we already know how to lose," Jackie Pires said of her father's long coaching career. "Winning with the Falcons has been a whole new level of stress, but it's definitely been a lot of fun, too."

Pires just finished his 17th season in the NFL and his fifth as linebackers coach for the Falcons. He's currently developing up-and-coming star Sean Weatherspoon and the equally exciting Akeem Dent, just as he did with Curtis Lofton in his first season in Atlanta.

Before that, Pires was with the Miami Dolphins from 2003 to 2007. He started as Miami's assistant defensive line coach, working with Brooks, who was the defensive line coach of the Dolphins at the time. Pires also served as defensive quality control and assistant linebackers coach while with the team. During his time in Miami, Pires helped coach linebackers Zach Thomas and Joey Porter and defensive ends Jason Taylor and Adewale Ogunleye to Pro Bowl seasons.

His NFL career began with the Arizona Cardinals, where he served as linebackers coach for five seasons from 1996-2000, before he went on to coach in the same role for the Detroit Lions from 2001-2002.

Before that, Pires coached outside linebackers and was a recruiting coordinator for Nick Saban at Michigan State in 1995. He started coaching in the college ranks in 1985, working with the linebackers and defensive line at Dartmouth College for four seasons, before coaching the defensive line at Syracuse from 1989-90 (following Brooks' departure for the University of Arizona) and the outside linebackers from 1991-94.

But he's found a true home in Atlanta, where Pires has coached the Falcon linebackers into one of the NFL's most athletic and hard-hitting units, doing what he was born to do.

"It's definitely been interesting. A lot of ups and downs," Jackie said. "The football life is not for everyone, but we made it work because we stayed so close as a family."

Jackie Pires graduated from Springfield College and now works for the Jason Taylor Foundation, working closely with the former Miami defensive end that her dad used to coach. Her brother, Michael, will graduate soon from Springfield as well with an eye toward coaching basketball. They credit their father and mother, Lynn, with keeping the family together under unusual circumstances and helping them on the path to success.

"So much of the credit goes to Lynn for all these years, for truly standing by her man," Eric Caron, Pires' brother-in-law, said. "They're a team, and they've helped one another through all the good times and the bad while raising their two beautiful, successful kids."

But even with his long hours, Pires still found the time to be a terrific father.

"Even as a kid, he'd be working a lot, but on Friday nights he always tried to get home around 4 or 4:30 (p.m.) so that we could have Friday Family Night," Jackie said. "We always made that extra effort to stay close."

Still, there was a downside.

"Remember when you're in elementary school and they have those 'Take Your Child to Work Days?' Well, we were never able to do that," Jackie said, although the Pires children could see the results of their dad's efforts every Sunday on the field. "It was definitely a mixture of fun and tension."

Glenn Pires graduated from New Bedford High in 1976, a three-year letterman in both football and track, playing offensive guard and linebacker for the Whalers. He was also a Southeastern Massachusetts Conference champ in the shot put and discus, and his record of 170-9 still stands as the school record. He was inducted into the New Bedford High Hall of Fame in 2002.

Jim Medeiros was a Physical Education teacher and the longtime swim coach at New Bedford, and he had a close relationship with Pires, even though the football player never swam for the Whalers.

"I wish he would have come out for swimming," Medeiros said wistfully. "He was too much into his other sports, but he could have been a really good swimmer. He was a real unusual kid, in that he was exceptional in every sport he played. He's known for football, for track, but I'm not sure I've seen anybody hit a baseball as far as he could."

Medeiros instead got to know Pires through his summer program, teaching swimming to elementary school children.

"I always had around three kids working for me, usually swim team kids, but Glenn was one of our instructors and he did an excellent job," Medeiros said.

He knew almost instantly that Pires had the makings of someone who could move and motivate people, even though he didn't necessarily envision him as an NFL coach in those days.

"I thought of him more as a teacher, but I guess a coach is a teacher," Medeiros said. "Glenn definitely had a gift. The kids just gravitated toward him and always picked things up quickly from him."

Medeiros said Pires was someone who was "always on the right side" and that as a teacher, "You wish every kid in school could be like him."

Although Medeiros and Pires kept in touch off and on over the years, Medeiros hasn't heard from his former pupil since he's been with Atlanta. But he still remembers a time when Pires came back to visit while working as an assistant coach and recruiter for Michigan State.

"I went to grad school at Michigan State, so it thrilled me when he went there," Medeiros said. "He came to visit, and I had left the Phys Ed department and was the supervisor of attendance at West Side High School. He came to visit and there he was, walking through the school in his Michigan State shirt. The kids were in awe of him."

And Medeiros thought that Pires was well-suited to roam the halls of a school.

"Obviously football was the biggest part of his life, but he could have gone in any number of 'good' directions," he said. "He could have been a high school principal or a college professor. He had that way about him, and we knew he'd be good at whatever he finally picked. He always took initiative, and he just respected everybody and they immediately respected him back."

Pires went on to Springfield College, where he was a four-year letterman playing on the offensive line and was a two-time Div. 2 All-EAC and All-New England selection. He also competed on the track and field team, and was the 1979 Division 2 national champion in the 35-pound hammer throw.

"Glenn was always a true gentleman. He was very mature, even as a 17-year-old," said former New Bedford track coach Steve Gardiner, who began his coaching career when Pires was a senior and now coaches at UMass Dartmouth. "I last saw him about three years ago, at a Springfield College track alumni event. His daughter Jacqueline was competing for Springfield at the time, and we (UMD) were competing at the event. He came over and we talked for quite awhile. He's still the same guy — a gentleman, humble."

Pires earned his bachelor's degree in education in 1980, and went on to become an assistant coach at Melrose High after graduation under his former head coach at New Bedford, Bruce MacPherson.

"A lot of Glenn as a coach and even as a person stems from Bruce MacPherson," said Caron. "Bruce mentored Glenn and helped him along the way, and in return, Glenn put myself and my twin brother Eddie on the path to success."

Caron first met Pires when he was 12 years old and Pires was in high school and started dating Lynn. Now going on 48, he said that Pires has been like both a brother and a father figure.

"My dad was a decorated police officer in New Bedford who passed away when my brother and I were just 15 years old," said Caron, who also has four other sisters in addition to Lynn. "Glenn lost his dad when he was young, too, and Bruce was a mentor to him. He taught him right from wrong and values and good character, about the game of life as much as the game of football. What Bruce did for Glenn, Glenn did for Eddie and me."

Eric Caron is a former diplomat who now holds a significant position with the Department of Homeland Security. Eddie Caron played football at New Bedford and went on to Springfield College, and later coached at GNB Voc-Tech, Cornell University (where he won an Ivy League championship), Durfee High and Boston University. He passed away from a flu-like virus known as myocarditis in March of 1994 at just 28 years old.

"Glenn really mentored us growing up and put us on the path to success," Caron said. "Not only did he put us on the path, but he was there to catch us when we fell off the path, and put us right back on it. We turned out to be successful individuals because of Glenn."

Caron said he's so close with Pires that when he attends games, people think they are actual brothers.

"I definitely consider him a brother," Caron said. "He's a good guy. He's a big man but he speaks softly. He doesn't necessarily like to be the center of attention, but he gets the job done. I think the results speak for themselves, with me and my brother, as well as the players he's coached and mentored along the way."